Russia reopened the Kerch Strait near Crimea to shipping in the early hours of Monday morning after firing on and seizing three Ukrainian naval ships a day earlier, a move that triggered a dangerous new crisis between the two countries.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaking international law on Sunday after Russian border guards tried and failed to stop two Ukrainian armored artillery vessels circumnavigating Crimea en route to a Ukrainian port.

Five days of clashes between protesters and police in Comoros’ Anjouan island have subsided after the national government, local authorities and the Anjouan capital Mutsamudu signed an accord aimed at ending the violence, officials said on Friday.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, agreed to give Dr. Christine Blasey Ford another extension to consider the terms of her testimony before the committee but expressed frustration about the delays.

Bulgaria will support Hungary in its standoff with the European Union over its democratic record, a Bulgarian deputy prime minister said on Wednesday, adding that the countries of eastern Europe had to stand together in their dealings with Brussels.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A Philippine senator who is President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critic in Congress remained holed up in the Senate on Wednesday to avoid what he considers an illegal arrest after Duterte voided his amnesty for his role as a rebel military officer.

Italy’s government threatened on Friday to withhold next year’s contributions to the EU budget if Brussels failed to resolve a standoff over the fate of immigrants stranded for four days in an Italian port.

Italy will let its coast guard ship carrying 177 migrants it rescued on the high seas five days ago dock in Sicily, Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli said on Monday, ending a standoff with Malta over where it should disembark.

A bakery in California has found itself at the centre of an international storm after it welcomed the president of Taiwan with a cup of coffee and a goody bag. The result was a major diplomatic incident as Chinese customers launched a boycott of the 85C Bakery Cafe, which rapidly disappeared from online ordering platforms on the Chinese mainland. The episode highlight’s Beijing’s sensitivity over an island that considers itself a sovereign state, but has never declared formal independence. The Taiwanese-owned chain apologised and distanced itself from the views of Tsai Ing-wen, the pro-independence leader of the island, after she dropped in on Wednesday en route to visiting allies in South America. Excited staff gave her a gift bag and took selfies, as images were uploaded to Facebook by part of her delegation. A woman looks at her mobile phone at a 85C Bakery Cafe in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province Credit: AFP They have since been removed but it was too late to prevent the diplomatic fallout. Beijing – which has been working to isolate countries that recognise Taiwan – warned it would oppose any businesses that support Taiwanese independence. A company official in Taipei, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that it had been removed from several online platforms, telling the AFP news agency: “We have noticed the situation and we hope it won’t be permanent.” 85C began in Taiwan but has since expanded to earn more than 60 percent of its revenue in China. Losing its presence on food delivery apps would be devastating. At a glance | The One China policy China views the island as part of its own territory, and has escalated a campaign to isolate Taiwan internationally since Ms Tsai came to power in 2016. A growing number of international companies including airlines and hotels have been bending to pressure from Beijing to refer to Taiwan as part of China. The election of Donald Trump has added to Chinese unease as he showed little regard for the fine lines and grey areas of the “one China policy”. Taiwan’s state-aligned Central News Agency on Thursday quoted a top official with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Long Mingbiao, as saying in Beijing that any company that expects to invest and “make money” in China must adhere to its policies. 85C’s problems began after Tsai stopped off at a Los Angeles branch of the cafe this week during an American visit in which she became the first Taiwanese leader in 15 years to give a public speech on American soil, something Beijing staunchly opposes. Internet users in China lashed out with boycott threats and calls for the coffee chain to quit the Chinese market.

A bakery in California has found itself at the centre of an international storm after it welcomed the president of Taiwan with a cup of coffee and a goody bag. The result was a major diplomatic incident as Chinese customers launched a boycott of the 85C Bakery Cafe, which rapidly disappeared from online ordering platforms on the Chinese mainland. The episode highlight’s Beijing’s sensitivity over an island that considers itself a sovereign state, but has never declared formal independence. The Taiwanese-owned chain apologised and distanced itself from the views of Tsai Ing-wen, the pro-independence leader of the island, after she dropped in on Wednesday en route to visiting allies in South America. Excited staff gave her a gift bag and took selfies, as images were uploaded to Facebook by part of her delegation. A woman looks at her mobile phone at a 85C Bakery Cafe in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province Credit: AFP They have since been removed but it was too late to prevent the diplomatic fallout. Beijing – which has been working to isolate countries that recognise Taiwan – warned it would oppose any businesses that support Taiwanese independence. A company official in Taipei, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that it had been removed from several online platforms, telling the AFP news agency: “We have noticed the situation and we hope it won’t be permanent.” 85C began in Taiwan but has since expanded to earn more than 60 percent of its revenue in China. Losing its presence on food delivery apps would be devastating. At a glance | The One China policy China views the island as part of its own territory, and has escalated a campaign to isolate Taiwan internationally since Ms Tsai came to power in 2016. A growing number of international companies including airlines and hotels have been bending to pressure from Beijing to refer to Taiwan as part of China. The election of Donald Trump has added to Chinese unease as he showed little regard for the fine lines and grey areas of the “one China policy”. Taiwan’s state-aligned Central News Agency on Thursday quoted a top official with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Long Mingbiao, as saying in Beijing that any company that expects to invest and “make money” in China must adhere to its policies. 85C’s problems began after Tsai stopped off at a Los Angeles branch of the cafe this week during an American visit in which she became the first Taiwanese leader in 15 years to give a public speech on American soil, something Beijing staunchly opposes. Internet users in China lashed out with boycott threats and calls for the coffee chain to quit the Chinese market.

The Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius arrived at Valletta harbor in Malta on Wednesday to allow 141 migrants to get off, ending a five-day tug-of-war among European Union countries which had seen the vessel banned from docking in several ports.